Retaining wall structures that use horizontally positioned soil inclusions to reinforce an earth mass in combination with a facing element are referred to as mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) structures. MSE structures can be used for various applications including retaining walls, bridge abutments, dams, seawalls, and dikes.
The basic MSE technology is a repetitive process where layers of backfill and horizontally-placed soil reinforcing elements are positioned one atop the other until a desired height of the earthen structure is achieved. Typically, grid-like steel mats or welded wire mesh are used as soil reinforcing elements. In most applications, the soil reinforcing elements consist of parallel, transversely-extending wires welded to parallel, longitudinally-extending wires, thus forming a grid-like mat or structure. Backfill material and the soil reinforcing mats are combined and compacted in series to form a solid earthen structure, taking the form of a standing earthen wall.
In some instances, a substantially vertical wall, typically made of concrete or steel facing panels, may be constructed a short distance from the standing earthen wall, or constructed simultaneously as the earthen wall rises upward. The vertical wall not only serves as decorative architecture, but also prevents erosion of the earthen wall. The soil reinforcing mats extending from the compacted backfill may be attached directly to the back face of the vertical wall in a variety of configurations. To facilitate this connection, the vertical wall will frequently include a plurality of facing anchors either cast into or attached somehow to the back face of the wall at predetermined and/or spaced-apart locations. Each facing anchor is typically positioned so as to correspond with and couple directly to the end of a soil reinforcing mat. Via this attachment, outward movement and shifting of the vertical wall is significantly reduced.
Although there are several methods of attaching soil reinforcing elements to facing structures, it nonetheless remains desirable to find improved facing anchors and soil reinforcing mat connectors offering less expensive alternatives and greater resistance to shear forces inherent in such structures.